SO, AS looked increasingly likely all morning, the planning inquiry into Bridport’s biggest development scheme for 30 years was stopped before it ever got properly going.

Late on in the afternoon, planning inspector Simon Rawle decided that landowners Haywards did not have the right to appeal against West Dorset district councillors’ refusal to allow them to redevelop St Michael’s Trading Estate and South West Quadrant land surrounding it.

In very simplified terms, the reason given was that links between West Dorset District Council and Haywards meant that an appeal could not be heard without breaching planning regulations.

The cost of the now-aborted appeal is estimated to be nearly £10,000. Work on failed planning applications may have cost more than £300,000.   

Peter Atfield, a consultant to Haywards, asked for his reaction to the squashing of the appeal, said: “It’s nothing printable.”  He added that something would still have to be done about the state of St Michael’s trading estate, as it could not be allowed to continue as it was. 

St Michael's Trading Estate: Improvements are needed

Bridport-based district councillor David Tett, a consistent supporter of regeneration plans for the South West Quadrant, said: “I am very disappointed. It’s put the whole process back several years to the detriment of the town and townspeople.”

He thought it was a shame that arguments for and against Haywards’ proposals did not get fully aired.

“To disallow the appeal just because of legal arguments – that doesn’t help anyone,” he said. Asked about what might happen in future, he replied: “I fear the worst.”

Artists who led the fight against what was planned said they too were “disappointed” not to be given a chance to put arguments with months of work and masses of conviction behind them. “We would have creamed it,” said Andrew Leppard.

But Mr Leppard also said that he felt sorry at the way things had turned out for Norman Hayward, whose family was noticeably angered by today’s unexpected turn of events.

Mr Leppard added: “I think  the whole community now has to work with Haywards and the district council to come up with a more community-based approach, to increase the economy, the activity and the value of the land.” 

(Lunchtime write-up)

ABOUT 40 people turned up this morning for the start of the appeal into Bridport’s historic South West Quadrant, which includes St Michael’s Trading Estate.

They heard more than two hours of abstruse but often intellectually exciting debate about whether the planning inquiry – scheduled to last at the Park Dean Holiday Park in West Bay until Friday – should be allowed to proceed.

South West Quadrant appeal documents for perusal at holiday park in West Bay

Landowners Haywards are appealing against West Dorset district councillors’ refusal to grant permission for redevelopment work including 175 new homes, and revamped business opportunities.

Haywards twice applied for permission for this scheme with West Dorset District Council (WDDC) , and it is the terms and repurcussions of that arrangement that were debated this morning and will be discussed again this afternoon.

Potentially the appeal could be stopped before it has even properly begun.

In very simplified terms, much hinges on whether WDDC should be regarded as a developer or not. WDDC said this morning it should, because (for example) even if it never planned to undertake any building work itself, “development is not just the physical manifestation and execution of that, it is the process that is gone through.”

If WDDC is regarded as a developer, planning regulations bite, and the appeal should be declared invalid.

But Haywards said this was unfair, because WDDC “invited and persuaded” Haywards to work with them, with Haywards understanding that regulations would not bite because the two parties remained essentially independent. As such Haywards should retain their indepedent right to appeal and the appeal should be declared valid.

The scheme being proposed is the biggest in Bridport for at least 30 years. Hundreds of livelihoods could depend on what the planning inspector Simon Rawle decides later today – or perhaps even tomorrow, such is the intensity of the debate.

If you’d like more immediate updates, you can follow RealWestDorset on Twitter. See link in top right hand corner of screen.

Officially, the number of full-time jobs in and around St Michael’s Trading Estate is 112. That is the figure previously used in planning applications to redevelop the estate.

But foot-slogging research by the Friends of St Michael’s Trading Estate suggests the true number is nearly double that – more than 200.

To be exact, the Quadrant hosts the equivalent of 202.5 full-time jobs.   

This figure suggests that there is an urgent need to revise official calculations about the economic value of redeveloping the Quadrant, as those calculations worked with the figure of 112.  

Aside from that, the list compiled by Andrew Leppard has a fascination all of its own. It’s a snapshot of Bridport’s economic and cultural history, captured before it could all be changed forever, depending on the outcome of a planning appeal starting later this month.

Think of it as a kind of Bridport Domesday Book… 

Here you will find theatrical groups, cleaners, an environmental consultant, an archaeologist, bathroom sellers, printers….

Small businesses in the SW Quadrant showing the number of Full-Time Equivalent jobs (FTE)

1. How is FTE worked out? Say five people work one day a week each – that is the equivalent of one person working full time.

2. It should also be noted that, although this list has been carefully checked, things change – numbers can change – and mistakes in transcription can occur. For example, it is possible that there is a spelling mistake in here somewhere! If you spot it, or if you wish to make any other corrections, please get in touch.

Members of the Friends of St Michael’s Trading Estate

Glen Crawford, Riley, classic cars, 1

Karl McGrady, Upholsterer, Unit 3, StMTE, 1.5

Hazel Murless, Soft Furnisher, 48a, The Studio, StMTE, 1

Bridport TLC, community recycling project, 47b StMTE, 13 (9FT +18PT)

Tolkovsky Furniture Design, 46b, StMTE, 2

ABC Blinds, 36, StMTE, 1.5

Discount Furniture, 37/38, StMTE, 6.5

Burwoods Domestic Appliances, 84, StMTE, 6.5

Wessex Wines, 88, StMTE, 1

West Country Cleaning and Waste, 47 StMTE, 6.5

AB Services, cleaning, 47 StMTE, 9

PNC, plates and plaques, unit 6 StMTE, 5

Les Alles Furniture, 57 StMTE, 1

Old Albion furniture, StMTE, 2

Vintage @ Cornucopia, Unit 4 StMTE, 1.5

Alessandro Botto, artist St Michael’s Studios. 1

Paul Blow, Illustrator, Studio 5. StMTE, 1

Carlos Guarita, photographer, 66 St Michaels Lane, 1

Lucy Guarita, archaeologist, 66 st Michaels Lane, 0.5

Print n Press, StMTE, 1

Beeline Taxis, Tannery Road (bus station), 13.5

Jemma Thompson, Signwriter, 17/19 Barrack St, 1

Nikki McCretton, Stuff and Nonsense Theatre Co, 7

Mark Parrot, Dog House Theatre Co

The Trick Factory, Skate, BMX arena, Stover Building, StMTE, 2

Cornucopia, Unit 10, StMTE, 1

Café Royal, Tannery Rd, 5.5 (2 + av 7)

SJ Bowles, Classic Motor Upholstery, Unit 6b, StMTE, 1

Best’s carpets, 81a St Michael’s Lane, 6

Dave Neylan, Environmental Consultant, Unit 18, StMTE, 1

Michael Wade Waxworks, Sculpture, StMTE, 2

Old Albion Antiques, StMTE, 1

Fiona Neylan, millinery, unit 15, StMTE, 0.5

Peter Watson, Printmaker, The Studio, 48 StMTE, 1

Pine and Painted, furniture, unit 10b, StMTE, 1

PSUK printing unit, 43, 1

Gabriel Hollands, Interior designs, St Michael’s Studios

Snips hairdressers, 3.5

Dan Davies, carpenter, joiner, unit..? 1

Tessa Dickson, Community Arts Projects, StMTE, 1

The Auction House, 1.5

Local Food Links, Unit 17 StMTE, 18.5

Brooks Develin, Unit 17, 4

0404 Web Design, Unit 17, 4

Oxenbury & Sons Coachworks, St Michaels Lane, 4

Karl Dixon, monumental works, 2

Sarah’s clothes shop, Tannery Lane, 1

Non-members of the Friends of St Michael’s Trading Estate

JK Knight, plumbing, 1

Hayward & Co, 4

AJC computers, 1

Cox’s Corner antiques, 1

Ocean Bathrooms, 10.5

Top Gear, exhausts etc, 15

Landsdowne Property Holdings Ltd, 1

Livingstone Textiles, St Michaels Lane, 2

TOTAL FTE 183.5

Artists at St Michael’s

John Rabbetts, artist, Tower Studio, StMTE, 1

Linzi Light, artist, St Michaels Studios, 1

Kate Alder, jewellery maker, studio14, 1

Ian Dunn, artist, unit 16, StMTE, 1

Charles Hallsworth, artist, studio 6, StMTE, 1

Andrew Leppard, artist, studio 5, StMTE, 1

David Brooke, studio 3a, StMTE, 1

Kit Glaisyer, artist tenant, unit 3c, StMTE, 1

Petra Hughes, Young at Art education, Studio6, StMTE, 1

Charlie Fuge, illustrator, 1

Spike Golding, graphic designer, StMTE, 1

Part time (½ equivalent)

S Wootton, artist, studio 14, 1 Stover Place, StMTE

Philomena Hamsworth, artist, St Michael’s Studios

Jan Zoyak, artist, St Michael’s Studios

Kate Alder, jewellery, studio 14

Marion Irons, printmaker, studio 14, StMTE

John Miles, photographer, studio 14

Sally Miles, artist, studio 14

Marion Taylor, artist, St Michael’s Studios

Jo Barnes, artist, St Michael’s Studios

John Boyd, artist, St Michael’s Studios

Pru Hewett-Morgan, artist, St Michael’s Studios

Adrian Everett, artist, unit 13a

Sally Davies, artist, tenant, StMTE

Anna Sullock, artist tenant, studio 6, StMTE

Antonia Fraser, artist tenant, studio 5, StMTE

Caroline Ireland, artist, tenant, St Michaels Studios

TOTAL FTE 19

OVERALL TOTAL 202.5

Bridport: South West Quadrant. Developers want to build a 5-storey block of flats on the site of the Stover Building (behind Burwoods). Photograph by Pete Millson

SHOULD the inquiry into the biggest proposed development in Bridport for 30 years be allowed to go ahead?

That is the question that will – unexpectedly – be decided when landowners Haywards’ launch their appeal into the future of the South West Quadrant, at the Park Dean Holiday Park in West Bay on January 26.

Costly preparations for the appeal have been going on for months, but if planning inspector Simon Rawle finds that Haywards’ appeal is not valid, the inquiry scheduled to last for three days will be stopped before it’s even properly begun.

Good news for the Friends of St Michael’s Trading Estate who have been campaigning against the proposed redevelopment of the area? Not necessarily.

Andrew Leppard, of the Friends, says: “We do actually want the appeal to go ahead because it’s the first time that someone from outside has had chance to have a look at it.”

Different parties involved in the appeal have recently been corresponding about the grounds for it. The situation is complicated because Haywards (the appellants) twice applied for planning permission in conjunction with West Dorset District Council, and twice elected councillors refused to give permission. It was thought last summer that planning regulations might not allow Haywards to appeal, but then it seemed that a way through had been found. However, a lot could now hinge on the question of how the council has decided what it might do in future with land it owns in the South West Quadrant.    

A letter from the planning inspectorate (intended for circulation) states: “We note the contents of the recent letters / emails from both main parties on this subject and the contents of the appellant’s Counsel’s opinion is noted, as is the fact that the Council’s Counsel has confirmed that s/he agrees with the solicitor’s interpretation of the Regulations.

“However, we are not in a position to determine the position ahead of the opening of the inquiry.

“With the above in mind, the parties (including any interested parties that wish to raise this matter) will need to make submissions to the Inspector at the opening of the inquiry. It will then be for the Inspector to judge on the validity of the appeal and thus whether to proceed.

“However, the parties should make sure that they are prepared to proceed should the Inspector decide that the appeal is valid.”

The letter goes on to state that the planning inspector “will be fully briefed about this matter prior to the inquiry”.

Dr Sue Farrant with Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg

Dr Farrant, the Liberal Democrats’ contender for West Dorset at the forthcoming General Election, says she is unhappy with the way that Conservative-controlled West Dorset District Council (WDDC) has behaved over the issue of the South West Quadrant of Bridport, which includes St Michael’s Trading Estate.

WDDC was initially in league with landowners Haywards, until its own councillors rejected what was planned and Haywards then decided to appeal. The hearing will begin at West Bay on January 26.   

Dr Farrant says: “I entirely support the campaign by the Friends of St Michael’s Trading Estate against the current proposals to develop the South West Quadrant of Bridport.

“I believe that any regeneration plan must maintain both the community of small businesses and working artists and an adequately-sized public transport terminal, as well as include other essential community resources, notably the Trick Factory.

“I think the behaviour of West Dorset District Council (WDDC) over this issue has been extremely heavy-handed and it appears to me that a number of important issues which were raised by tenants and residents and by the Town Council have simply not been taken into account.

“I don’t make these comments lightly because I am all too well aware of the need for more housing in the area and the pressure on WDDC to meet government targets.

“However, the inclusion of 100 units in addition to the 70 in the Local Plan seems to me to fly in the face of WDDC’s wider responsiblity to promote the economic, environmental and social well being of the communities it serves. That means taking all factors into account rather than pursuing a single goal to the exclusion of all others.

“I am a great believer in local communities coming together to work out solutions to issues like these and in my experience that is the only way that sustainable outcomes can be achieved.”

For other stories on the South West Quadrant and the Trick Factory, look on this site in the Category called South West Quadrant.

The proposed “regeneration” of the area, which includes St Michael’s Trading Estate, is going to be fought over at an appeal hearing in West Bay in January.

If landowners Haywards get approval for their scheme, which was first drawn up with West Dorset District Council, it will have a bigger effect on Bridport than any development since the 1970s.

Forty-three letters went to the Planning Inspectorate. One – from the Highways Agency – raised no objections provided certain conditions were met. The rest were all opposed.

To help round off 2009, and to carry us through into 2010, here are a few of the most eye-catching bits.       

“This fake new utopia”

Alan Ross of Burton Bradstock writes: “Should this development go ahead, my wife and I will never visit Bridport again, taking our business to places of character such as Beaminster!”

The letter is also signed – you’ll be relieved to hear – by Mrs Susan Ross. (I didn’t like to think of her being unilaterally barred by her husband from visiting her nearest town… But as it stands, that’s what you call a resolution.)

Mr and Mrs Ross say they object to the idea of Bridport becoming a clone town, yet another victim of the process which sees a vibrant artistic area created, then developers cash in, wipe the slate clean, and cram in houses, “outpricing this fake new utopia to the local people who were instrumental in building, and had pride in, their inter-reliant community.”

“A sterile town”

Antonia Fraser, Pymore: “Many of us think that what is being proposed at present will turn Bridport into a sterile town with smart shops and bijoux cafes of the kind found in the South East of England.

“The alternative is that Bridport retains its authentic Dorset character, rooted in its artisan base.”

“It is honest, it is human and it is real”

Rex Johnson, Nettlecombe: “St Michael’s trading estate is a trading estate and is bound to look a little shabby in places. SO WHAT?

“I find the current and ongoing mania for tidying everything up disturbing, totally distasteful and utterly superficial.

“Bridport is an historic and characterful market town and a characterful, shabby trading estate is very much a part of that.

“It is honest, it is human and it is real.

“The very last thing I would wish to see happen to St Michael’s trading estate is for it to be transformed into yet another Poundbury…”

Harriet Laurie with sons Caspar and Dillon

You can see Harriet Laurie on You Tube by clicking on this link  

GRAPHIC designer Harriet Laurie is one of the leaders of the fight to save Dorset’s only indoor skate park from destruction.

The Trick Factory on St Michael’s Trading Estate in Bridport is in danger of being knocked down so that landowners Haywards (originally teamed up with West Dorset District Council) can build flats on the site.

Ms Laurie is involved because she has three sons. She says, “If they weren’t doing this, they’d be at home trashing the house. This [place] is geared up for testosterone, and my home is a little bit of a cosy cottage where three big boys are just busting out at the seams, so they come here, they get it all out of their system, and they come home and they’re lovely.”

One of her boys, Caspar, admits: “I can skate, which I like doing, and I’m tired out when I get home, so I don’t stay up late, and I’m ready for school and stuff like that. It’s just a lot easier to come here and it’s something to do at night rather than going out around the town.”

The Trick Factory is thronging with boys trying out risky sporting moves. There’s plenty of fallings-off but no visible fallings-out.

Ms Laurie says: “There’s an awful lot they’re learning about how to co-operate with other people, and how to be generous, you know, allowing other people the space and the time to do their stuff and they all really encourage each other, there’s a wonderful kind of bonhomie.”

More activities for teenagers a West Dorset priority

The last major survey of public opinion in West Dorset was bmg research’s Place Survey, carried out in late 2008, published in full in October 2009.

According to this survey, residents’ two top priorities for improving life in West Dorset are more affordable decent housing (47% overall – 57% in Bridport) and more activities for teenagers (43% overall – 45% in Bridport).

This is why the future of the Trick Factory has become such an explosive issue – because it brings the two priorities of affordable housing and activities for teenagers into direct conflict.

(This is also why it’s remarkable that the Trick Factory should – until recently – have been so ignored by West Dorset District Council planners and landowners Haywards: – so casually earmarked for destruction – or so it seems to everyone I’ve spoken to about it…)

Should one priority give way to the other? Harriet Laurie: “Affordable housing is really important, but I think there’s not much point having affordable housing and then having that all full of kids who’ve got nothing to do, who are going to trash the place. You have got to get a balance, haven’t you, between keeping people busy and positive, as well as housing them. I don’t think one has to give way to the other. You can create a scheme that works for everybody.”

But is it now possible to get a scheme that works for everybody? Haywards’ planning appeal – against district councillors’ refusal to allow the transfomation of St Michael’s Trading Estate and the South West Quadrant of Bridport – will begin in West Bay on January 26.

Click here for the Trick Factory’s website 

Click here for the Trick Factory Support Group on Facebook, which (at the time of writing this) has nearly 1,500 members 

Philip Colfox and daughter. It's not every day you see your Dad wearing a bright orange boiler suit to campaign for skateboarders. But this was to be no ordinary day...

TODAY is the big day to save the Trick Factory, the indoor skate park in Bridport that’s threatened with destruction by property developers.

So says the human rights lawyer Clive Stafford-Smith, who lives near Bridport and is now helping to organise the campaign against the park’s shut-down. It’s scheduled for demolition if landowners Haywards get the right at a planning appeal next year to redevelop St Michael’s Trading Estate and the South West Quadrant of Bridport 

So, from about 11 am this morning, around Bucky Doo Square in Bridport, and in front of the Arts Centre, users and supporters of the Trick Factory have been asking people to back a petition. It’s reckoned that by the end of this afternoon 500 or 600 people will have signed up and perhaps even been photographed too.

Busking for the Trick Factory in front of Bridport Arts Centre

Clive Stafford-Smith (wearing grey body-warmer) behind a busy petition table

Making a clear stand: Save the Bridport Trick Factory

Many users are clad in bright orange in reference to the notorious jumpsuits which inmates at  Guantanamo Bay are forced to wear. Clive Stafford-Smith is best known for his work with Guantanamo captives.

A short film about the Trick Factory is also showing in Bridport Arts Centre.

Also this weekend…

On Sunday December 20, the collection from a Christmas carol service at the Unitarian Chapel in East Street, Bridport, will be donated to the cause. (That’s The Chapel in the Garden, opposite Rawle’s butchers).

Trick Factory supporter and local landowner Philip Colfox says: “My family are putting on a little carol service in the Unitarian Chapel on Sunday, at 4pm, for people to come along and play their musical instruments and have a lovely time and we’re going to dedicate the collection towards the Trick Factory.”

Mr Colfox has got involved in the campaign because he says: “My little boy absolutely adores bicycling, skateboarding, and I know how important it is for young lads to have something to do, keep them occupied, so as far as I’m concerned the Trick Factory is absolutely one of the best things for young boys.”

Some sample messages from the wall of the Trick Factory

I am x years old and I live round Bridport. If I wasn’t at the Trick Factory, I would be skating up the side of your garden wall.

I am x years old and I live round Bridport. If I wasn’t at the Trick Factory, I would be doing my homework… NOT!

I am x years old and I live round Bridport. If I wasn’t at the Trick Factory, I would be begging my parents to move to Florida.

I am x years old and I live round Bridport. If I wasn’t at the Trick Factory, I would be lying in the gutter outside the kebab shop.

I am 50 years old and I live round Bridport. If I wasn’t try to save the Trick Factory, I’d be trying to save the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

Guess who that last one was!

The human rights lawyer Clive Stafford-Smith, best known for his work with prisoners at Guantamano Bay, said: “I suspect that will put the fear of God into the people who want to take this gem of Bridport away from these young people.”

The Trick Factory is Dorset’s only indoor skate park. It’s taken ten years to build up the venue inside an old industrial premises on St Michael’s Trading Estate, which is in the South West Quadrant (SWQ) of Bridport. The park is scheduled to be destroyed if the estate’s owner wins a planning appeal next month and gets the right to redevelop the SWQ, particularly for 175 new homes.

Trick Factory leader Robert Ridge got to know Mr Stafford-Smith, who lives near Bridport, when he went to do some plumbing for him. Mr Stafford-Smith visited The Trick Factory and was impressed. He was there tonight as local politicians, and other interested figures, were shown around.

And he revealed: “Just today I was on a telephone call with some lawyers with whom I’m doing a fairly big case in London on torture, and I told them all about The Trick Factory, and I said ‘Look, we’ve got much more serious issues here in Bridport than a little torture in London’ and it turns out that this big London firm is very much into doing this sort of planning work and they have volunteered to come and represent the kids down here at the Trick Factory. I suspect that will put the fear of God into the people who want to take this gem of Bridport away from these young people…

“We are talking about a very big firm, plus a barrister who lives down here too, who is sort of shocked that they want to take this away from the youth of Bridport, so with any luck we’re hanging on to it.”

Author’s note: I was surprised to hear Mr Stafford-Smith use the word “fear”, as he is so obviously a man whose work (in torture cases, for example) has taught him what fear means. So this could be a significant development…

Look out for more on The Trick Factory on this site tomorrow afternoon (Friday, December 18). More stories will appear after vital IT changes and updates go well in the morning. I am deliberately being optimistic; I am also keeping my fingers crossed! 

WEST Dorset District Council has so far lost nearly £13,000 on the development of the Gore Cross Business Park in Bridport.

Two plots, however, still have to be sold and the council could end up making a six-figure profit.

Details of the council’s financial involvement may fuel the debate about the proposed redevelopment of St Michael’s trading estate and the South West Quadrant in Bridport, where West Dorset District Council owns land. How profitable – or not – could the regeneration of that land be? How long might it take?

And is it sensible to risk destroying the small businesses on the South West Quadrant that might grow into the bigger firms now at Gore Cross?

Businessman Laurence Wettern, now based on Gore Cross, says: “You do still want the small units that people can get going with.”

Background

Gore Cross Business Park was born out of a grand project for Bridport town centre that failed. The idea about two decades ago was that Bridport-Gundry (as it then was; it’s now AmSafe) should move up from The Court in West Street onto land at Gore Cross owned by Norman’s (of slaughterhouse fame). The Court would then become a supermarket. It never happened. Instead, about 15 years ago, the idea was hatched that Norman’s would sell their land to public sector bodies better able to get necessary permissions, and bear the costs of creating a new industrial estate.

One aim was to give local firms chance to expand. Another was to attract new businesses to the area.

So, Gore Cross Business Park began as a joint public sector venture between West Dorset District Council (WDDC), Dorset County Council (DCC) and the Rural Development Commission (RDC: later absorbed into the South West Regional Development Agency – SWRDA).

These three bodies agreed that Gore Cross – which was then just a green field, popular with walkers to and from The Pymore Inn – would be a more attractive place for businesses to move to, if it came with some basic facilities already in place, like a road around the site and utilities. WDDC, DCC and the RDC also planned to make some return on their investment by selling serviced plots.

Costs so far incurred by West Dorset District Council

Site Acquisition £768,550
Construction Costs £464,636
Other Costs £102,326 (legal fees, service provision, landscaping, supervisory fees, consultants, Marketing)
Design Costs £71,059
Service Road £232,641
Partner Contributions (£450,000) (£250k SWRDA & £200k DCC)
Total Costs £1,189,212
Offsetting the total costs against the net proceeds (£1,176,516) gives a current net loss of £12,695.
However, a WDDC spokeswoman points out: “There are 2 more plots to sell, which have an asset valuation of £195,000. Also, we still have to deal with works to the Estate Road to bring it up to an adoptable standard – not yet costed.”

Who is on the Gore Cross Business Park?

The site is much busier than it looks from the A3066.

Current occupants include: Haydon Veterinary Group, Delta Heating & Plumbing Supplies, AJ Electrical Distribution, Huck Nets (UK), Samways Fish Merchants & International Transporters, Howdens Joinery, Sicor International, Ackerman Engineering, Brydian Cards, Castle Building and Construction, Deben Netting Division, O’Brien Roofing & Leadwork, AAV Plastics Design, MJP Electronics, DGT Precision Engineering, AP Chant Plumbing & Heating, Curtiss Wright Flow Control Company (Solent & Pratt).

A new headquarters is being built for Top Gear, who are moving from the South West Quadrant. 

Why Gore Cross?

AAV Plastics Design (AAVPD) is run by Laurence Wettern who started the business nearly 20 years ago. His first success was making wine-breathers to help preserve bottled wine. Nowadays he employs 14 people making an ingenious variety of moulded plastic products.

Mr Wettern was based on the Dreadnought Trading Estate in Bridport, but he outgrew his rented premises there, and bought a plot at Gore Cross in the late 1990s. Moving offered him the security of ownership, and it gave AAVPD room to expand, as it did 4 years ago. Mr Wettern did consider moving instead to Horn Park between Beaminster and Broadwindsor, but he decided that was too difficult for people to get to. Several other firms now on Gore Cross have also moved from locations nearby (Samways, for example, were at West Bay; Solent & Pratt were down the road)   

Mr Wettern said:  “Where else were people going to go? It is quite difficult. Finding somewhere that is sensible for people to get to is not the same as finding somewhere that you can get planning permission on.”

Historically, West Dorset has lost some enterprises to other areas: for example, Numatic from Beaminster to Chard, Denhay Farms’ bacon packaging unit from the Marshwood Vale to Honiton, and Kingcombe Aquacare from Hooke to Crewkerne.

Mr Wettern thought the loss of £13,000 sustained by the district council so far was “not too bad” given the part that Gore Cross had played in keeping many jobs in the Bridport area, as well as creating opportunities for new ones.

For WDDC, business support team leader Trevor Hedger said: “The Gore Cross development is a valuable resource because it supports the local economy by providing lots of space for local firms to grow and expand, and that is something the council has clearly been prepared to invest in.”

Further analysis in relation to the South West Quadrant

There are various ways of interpreting the situation at Gore Cross with regards to St Michael’s Trading Estate and the South West Quadrant.

Readers may have their own views and it would be good to hear them.

The loss made so far at Gore Cross – after 15 years – suggests that an organisation like WDDC cannot always expect to get money back quickly from commercial property development. The council does own SWQ land, but its motives in initially promoting SWQ planning applications should perhaps be judged in the light of potentially slower returns than most people might expect.

Possible commercial concerns show by contrast the importance for the SWQ project of getting permission to build 175 new homes. Residential development is safer and much more lucrative.

Consultants have suggested that SWQ regeneration will be worth £5 million a year to Bridport if completed. Critics doubt that. For a start, they say people must also take into account what might be lost, now and in the future. St Michael’s trading estate may look shabby but it’s a place where businesses can start to grow and thrive (as Top Gear has).

Let’s give Mr Wettern the final word to be going on with: “You do still want the small units that people can get going with. I was paying £2 per square foot to begin with – it was grotty but that rent was a function of the grottiness of the place and… well, I can’t say that I liked the grottiness but you don’t mind it so much when you’re starting out.

“You don’t want to end up destroying all those sheddy types of place and you’ve got to be quite careful about not doing that – otherwise you can stop people creating those businesses that end up coming up here [to Gore Cross].”

That is six years less to enjoy, for example, the pleasures of being with grandchildren – or having a nice bit of cake and a cup of tea in the WI café in Bridport on Saturday mornings – or playing short-mat bowls.

Is it fair that poor women should miss out on nearly 2,200 days of life compared with their wealthier counterparts?

Or is it just the way things are, the way things always have been and always will be?

People have to make their own minds up.

That’s the point of the Comprehensive Area Assessment of Dorset, published this morning. It’s a new kind of Government inspection that is supposed to tell people not just how an individual council is performing, but what an area is like to live in.

It is also meant to let people know how councils and other governmental bodies (like the police, and the fire and rescue service) are all working together to make a place better.

Local people, when they have digested all this information, are meant to hold local bodies to account and press for improvements. That’s the idea, anyway.

Clicking on this link will take you to the main overview page for Dorset.

A word of warning: CAA reports are written in a simple style that is supposed to make them more accessible.  Page after page is written in short sentences. Short sentences that are supposed to be easy to read. But these short sentences are all too alike. So these short sentences get on your nerves.

Nevertheless, there is a wealth of detail packed away in them.

Some interesting points

• Most jobs in Dorset are in the service sector, and over 90 per cent of firms have fewer than 25 staff.
• Dorset has more retired people than any other county.
• West Dorset is one of the most thinly populated parts of England. Its population is 97,200. Over half live in the towns – Beaminster, Bridport, Chickerell, Dorchester, Lyme Regis and Sherborne. The district’s population is expected to increase at a faster rate than other areas.  

Some good points

• More people in Dorset than any other English county are satisfied with the local area as a place to live.
• Crime rates are generally low and falling.
• Dorset is the seventh best county at recycling.
• It’s the second best county at reducing the amount of waste going into landfill sites.
• Dorset has been given a Green Flag for its Partnership for Older People Projects, through which more than 23,000 older people are helped to support both themselves and their communities. A Green Flag means other areas could learn from what is happening here.
• More than 83 per cent of people in West Dorset say they have been treated with respect by their local public services, which is well above the national average.

Some bad points

• Wages are low and house prices are very high. That makes staying in Dorset more difficult for young people. Dorset overall has been given a Red Flag over housing quality and affordable housing. A Red Flag means action is needed.
• The number of young people who are not in education, employment or training has gone up.
• Dorset is not doing as well as many other parts of the country in improving road safety. The number of people being killed or seriously injured in road accidents is going down, but too slowly.  
• Satisfaction with bus services is amongst the lowest in the country.
• Some local people in rural areas have serious problems getting the services they need.

Some talking points

From the organisational assessment of West Dorset District Council:

“House building has slowed down because of the recession. And big building schemes to make local towns attractive to people have not gone to plan. But the Council did well in deciding most people’s planning applications quickly and the quality of its decisions improved.”

Could there be a reference in here to the South West Quadrant scheme proposed for Bridport – or two? Is the SWQ scheme officially supposed to be making Bridport “attractive” to people? Or was turning it down – twice – a sign of improved quality decision- making? Probably not the latter, in the official mind; the main quality indicator is almost certainly the number and outcome of appeals. Though another section does state: “Local councillors are particularly strong at challenging decisions and considering different ways of doing things”.

From the organisational assessment of Dorset County Council:

“The Council worked well with its district council partners and others to help local people and businesses cope in the recession. A fund was set up to help, but this was not needed.”

Who decided it was “not needed”? What has happened to this fund now? West Dorset generally lags 12-18 months behind the rest of the country in recessions. I can’t name them – it wouldn’t be fair – but I can think of several retailers who’ve only recently been hit by bad unpaid debts. So a later assessor’s remark may be truer:

“The Council knows that worse may yet to be come…”